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MANAGEMENTRebuffing Microsoft’s SpinAbout Linux ManagementNew report reveals the truth about Linux managementB Y J O N W A L K E ROver the last few years, we’ve seen and heard some pretty visceral reactions fromthe Linux community to Microsoft-funded reports about Linux. Rightfully so – some ofthe “facts” in Microsoft’s “Get the Facts” campaign have been outright false and mosthave been misleading at the very least.Perhaps no studies have drawn moreire from the Linux community thanthe total cost of ownership (“TCO”)studies by Laura DiDio at the Yankee Groupand the community also had a strong collectiveoutcry against some very one-sidedMicrosoft “facts” about Linux security.But one particular focal point of Microsoft’sfear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD)campaign has gone unchecked for far toolong – and that’s Redmond’s assertionthat Linux is inherently more difficult tomanage than Windows systems. While thestudies themselves haven’t been quite soone-sided and blatantly inaccurate as someof the other FUD areas, Microsoft-fundedreports like the Meta Group’s study on “File,Web, and Database Server Administration”(for Linux versus Windows) are built onantiquated, one-sided research findings– and it’s long past time that the enterprisecommunity got a refresher on where Linuxmanagement stands today versus Windows.A B O U T T H E A U T H O RJon Walker serves as CTO of Versora, an ISVproviding Microsoft to Linux migration software.Mr. Walker recently has co-authored 2 whitepaperswith Novell titled Migrating from IS Web Serversto Apache SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9.0 andMigrating File and Print Servers from Windows toSUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9. Prior to Versora,Mr. Walker was CTO/VP of Engineering for MiramarSystems. Software developed under his directionat Miramar has been deployed to over 20 millioncomputers worldwide. Mr. Walker has also servedas senior technologist for Nortel and XingTechnology (now Real Networks).jwalker@versora.com“While Linux is in heavy use in the enterprise,there is a misplaced perception thatmanaging Linux environments is somehowmore difficult or labor-intensive than managingWindows environments,” Dave Rosenberg,principal analyst with Open Source DevelopmentLabs, says. “Microsoft has fueled thisidea that Linux is a geeks-only hobbyist niche,which is simply not the case. In fact, Linuxsystem management tools are in many casesoutpacing Windows management tools. Themarket needs more information about thetools at their disposal and to understand thatthere is nothing more complex or expensiveinvolved with managing Linux environments.”Enter Levanta and OSDL, who jointlyfunded the Enterprise Management Associates(EMA) report released in February,“Get the Facts on Linux Management.” Thestudy, available in its entirety at Levanta’sWeb site at www.levanta.com/linuxstudy/,is the first significant non-vendor-biasedlook at Linux management in a long time.The report focuses on the wide variety of cost,concerns, personnel, and other considerationsrelated to managing Linux versus Windowsenvironments. The sample size is quite substantive– the report is based on a telephone surveyusing a random sample of several thousand ITorganizations, a Web survey of self-selectingrespondents, and in-depth interviews with CIOsand MIS managers in 13 enterprises with Linuxenvironments. Here’s the take-away – Linuxhas matured, and management solutions helpto make it simple and economical. Below, I’vepulled some notable findings from the report(see sidebar) that, at the very least, provide statsthat call into question the validity of some of theanti-Linux claims.Linux MaturityMany products that solve Linux servermanagement problems didn’t exist twoyears ago. Now that mature Linux managementsolutions are on the scene, big enterprisesand SMEs can significantly reducetheir Linux management and operationscosts (100% of the study’s respondentsreport Linux management is the same oreasier than Windows management).Linux has garnered strong supportfrom mainstream hardware vendors andlarge management software vendors alike.Microsoft supports Linux as a guest operatingsystem with it latest release of VirtualServer 2005 and promotes technologiesthat integrate Linux management intoMicrosoft SMS and MOM. After all, if youcan’t beat ‘em, might as well make moneyoff ‘em!APRIL 2006 8 www.LinuxWorld.com